Just Look Up
by Flash Cat
Summary: A new doll arrives at Bonnie's room, totally new, and nothing to expect. But Buzz finds out she has a story, and boy, what a story it is.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

Liz sighed and watched lazily as trees, colored in the brilliant colors of autumn foliage, flew by the window of her cousin's tiny car. It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The sun was shining, birds were chirping. In fact, mused Liz, everything was perfect, except for a certain lousy perso-

"Hey, take a look at what James said!" Liz's cousin said loudly, popping her gum and flashing her iPhone in Liz's direction. Before she had the chance to glance at the touch screen, however, her cousin had whipped it back into her left palm and was frantically typing again.

"Trish, maybe you shouldn't be doing that now," warned Liz, blowing her grown-out auburn bangs out of her face.

"Come on, Lizzybee," Liz glowered at the childhood nickname, "You know I am a perfectly safe adult."

"Trish, you're driving with your knees,"

"Oh, boo. Don't sweat it kid, I've had tons of practice," She bragged, still giggling at her iPhone. Sinking down in the passenger seat, Liz buried herself into her green sweatshirt and brought her legs to her chest. She loved Trish, but, well, sometimes she could get a bit reckless. Even though she was fresh into her senior year of college, she was still one of the most irresponsible people Liz knew.

'_We would be safer,' _She thought, _'If _I_ was driving.' _But being eleven, that was a long shot.

Still popping her gum obnoxiously, Trisha jammed her finger into the 'on' button of the car radio.

"Ooh, I love this song!" She squealed. "_You got designer shades, just to hide your face, and you wear 'em around like you're cooler than me! And you never say "hey," or remember my name, it's probably 'cause you think you're cooler than me!"_ The bass line emitting from the speakers jolted Liz in her seat. Scowling, she drew out her iPod, jammed the earbuds into her ears, and scrolled the thumb-dial until she reached her Beatles playlist.

"Lizzy," Whined Trish, as Liz began to draw out a copy of _Harry Potter_, "Why are you acting like such a loner? Have some fun!" She exclaimed, throwing her hot pink Coach bag into Liz's lap.

"Well, because,_ Trisha_," started Liz ferociously, "my idea of fun involves driving _safely_, and listening to _good_ music, in the very least,"

Trisha frowned.

"You know what? You've been such a bitch since your parents divorced! I'm sick of it!" She paused, "You know what? Screw this. You're going home,"

"Fine! Good! That's where I want to go!" Liz turned over in her seat and closed her eyes.

The dark blue VW bug suddenly veered sharply to the right, causing Liz's dark green eyes to immediately snap open to attention.

"What the heck are you doing, Trisha?" Shouted Liz above the symphony of horns directed towards them. A flood of oncoming traffic rushed towards the tiny car. Trisha froze, paralyzed with fear. Her iPhone she had been clutching moments before dropped from her hand and onto the rubber floor.

"Drive!"

Trisha finally lowered her toe onto the gas pedal and positioned her hands on the steering wheel when the first car hit. Not having enough time to brake, it smashed head-on into the back of the little Bug. Glass shattered and crumbled into the trunk. The seatbelt managed to stop Liz's body from projecting foreword, but her head still whipped back and forth under the impact, smashing against the window and emitting a loud cracking noise. Dazed and in pain, she shared a glance with Trisha, who was wailing and cupping her bloody nose. Liz's breath came out in shallow wisps, deepening until she was gasping heavily with relief. Now if only they could find Trisha's phone in all of the confusion and call the nearest hospital, everything would be fine. It was all over, anyway, and they were both alive.

Again, she glanced at Trisha. Why did she look so scared? Uneasiness settled into Liz's body as Trisha pointed a single shaking finger towards the window on Liz's side. What was she getting at? Painfully, Liz twisted her neck and rested her head against the cool glass, but it was too late when the realization hit her. Feet away from her face, a terrified driver was desperately trying to put on his brakes before his car smashed full on into Liz's door. Everything before her eyes seemed to slow down as the VW Bug rocked onto it's top from the force of the other car, but not before Liz's face was dashed into the window a second time. Slipping out of her seatbelt, Liz could feel it. This was the end wasn't it? Mouth as dry as cotton, Liz tried to send out a signal to her cousin.

'_Save me, save me, save me! You got us into this mess! I'm going to _die _because of your stupidity!' _Trisha's cries soon started to fade, and the warm blood dripping down Liz's face almost seemed soothing.

'_Trisha!'_

A long, angry, bloodcurdling scream emitted from Liz's mouth as crimson blood dripped down her face and onto her rosebud lips. Death was coming, and she was definitely not ready to go yet. Fading into oblivion, Liz's anger turned to a wild ferocity. Her fight for life wasn't nearly close to being over. It had only just begun.

* * *

Two hours later, Liz's parents were solemnly gathered together in the waiting room of the local hospital. A doctor walked in, teeth clenched, his throat hitching with every breath he took. It was right then when he shuffled over to Ms. And Mr. Tanner, and broke to them his devastating news that would change their lives forever. Although they had been fresh from divorce, Ms. Tanner let out a wail and buried her face in her ex-husband's jacket. Awkwardly, the doctor turned to leave.

"Wait," Mr. Tanner had reached out to clench the doctor's scrubs.

"Thank you," He whispered brokenly. The doctor nodded in return and started on his way back to the room where Liz's mangled body lay.

* * *

A/N: Oh Lawdy. My second ever multi-chaptered fic, and boy did I work hard on it. Yes, this does include an original character, and I tried to make her as un Mary-suish as possible. So sit back, and enjoy :D

And I will be publishing chapters weekly, regardless of school/homework, yaddah yaddah.


	2. Realization

CHAPTER ONE- REALIZATION

Upon waking, Liz could immediately sense that something was off.

"What is it? I can't climb up!"

"I do wonder if she's classically trained,"

"Oh, I hope it's not a dinosaur!" The loud one who had said so had earned himself a round of shushing.

"Look, I'm sure it's nothing too bad. And remember, it's Bonnie we're talking about! Right guys? She'd never just throw us away!" said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Tom Hank's. "Look, Buzz and I will go check on whatever's up there, then we'll all give whatever new toy she got a big welcome!"

"Affirmative," rumbled a gruff, reassuring voice.

Huh… this was strange. Liz knew that she was grinning, and could sense that her eyes were open. Her lids were apart, but she still couldn't see, and she was smiling widely, but it felt totally natural.

_'Is this death?'_ She wondered silently, trying to open her eyes, _'did I go blind?'_ Everything seemed amiss. She felt lighter than before, airier even. Her normally choppy brown hair was brushing lightly against the small of her back, and her teeth felt rubbery. Liz felt fake, plastic.

"Hello?" called the Tom Hanks voice. It seemed as though it were speaking through some sort of flimsy container, with her on the inside. Whoever it was sighed.

"She hasn't woken up,"

"They're usually never out this long!"

"Hello?" They tried again.

Multicolored dots began to float before Liz's eyes, brightening until they sparked into orange bolts of light. Blinking harshly, Liz could just barely make out her surroundings. She was standing on the biggest bed she had ever seen, in a room that seemed much larger than life-sized. Upon glancing around more, she began to understand her predicament, and panic seized her heart. Giant twist-ties crudely clamped her arms to her side and her legs to a wall behind her. Kicking ferociously, she soon realized this wall to be cardboard, printed with pink, green, and orange flowers. A thin sheet of plastic separated her from the rest of the world, but still allowed her enough vision to see a pair of men starting to climb down from the massive bed.

"No! Please don't leave!" Liz gasped, then paused. Did they tie her up? Were they murderers? Did heaven even have murderers?

The two men turned around. She could see clearly now, and noticed that the lanky one that seemed almost floppy was dressed as a cowboy. The muscular one (or was he just fat?) was clad in plastic armor. They started to dart back to the box, and a creeping realization had settled upon Liz like a thick layer of dust. She noted, intimidated, that the cowboy's head was much too large for his body, and how there were seams where his joints should have been. His limbs were frighteningly thin, and his whole body looked stitched together. The space man looked relatively normal, considering that armor was covering his body. His head, however, seemed like a caricature, with an abnormally large chin and virtually no forehead. Again, Liz was taken aback, unsure what to make of such beings. They both looked like people, but they were in no way _human_. Unnerved, Liz struggled to free herself from the twist ties before they reached her place of captivity, but it was too late. They were already poking through the top of her prison, which was soon opening up like a giant flap.

"We'll get you out of there! Just hold on!" yelled down the cowboy. Together, he and the astronaut tipped the box onto its back and slid out the sheet of cardboard Liz was tied to.

"Wha-what are you?" she asked in alarm.

"What are we, you ask?" responded the spaceman, untying her with ease, "Why, we're toys! You are too!" He received a response of silence accompanied with a confused stare.

"Toys?" Said the cowboy questioningly, seeing if it could ring a bell.

Liz shook her head, as if exiting a trance.

"This is nuts," She breathed, "Am I dead?" The cowboy shook his head.

"Dreaming then?" He shook his head again.

"You're lying. My hair isn't this long," she said simply, picking at a strand, "It's not…blond." She looked down at her chest. "I don't have…never mind." She sighed. "Okay, I'm outta here," she said, preparing to dig her nails into her arm. Reality was just a pinch away. "Ouch!" It did nothing except leave her with slight grooves on her forearm. Liz looked to each of their faces in shock. "I…I'm not dreaming?" The cowboy shot the astronaut a concerned glance.

"No" he whispered.

"But I'm not a toy!"

"No,"

"No? I'm not a toy?"

"No, you are a toy," The space man finished for the cowboy. "Now look at your hands," Hesitantly, Liz looked down. Her fingers were separated from the hand by little plastic joints, each wrist twisting with the help of a ball. Scanning the rest of her arm that wasn't hidden by clothing, she noted each ball-joint that she found. Cautiously, the astronaut padded over to her and placed a large hand on her back.

"Now, that's not what normal people look like, do they?" He whispered gently. Liz's voice cracked through the lump of tears forming in her throat.

"So, I'm not a person? I'm a…child's plaything?" She sniffled. Her breathing snowballed into full-on hyperventilation.

"Hey, you'll be fine," the cowboy chirruped. "Now-"

"Woody," started the astronaut, as the doll clambered down the bedpost and stumbled across the hardwood floor. "I'm going to stop you right there. I suffered through the same realization just ten years ago." The newcomer was already sitting on the windowsill with her legs clenched to her chest and head down. The other toys, sensing her sad demeanor, gave her space.

"All she needs is time," He murmured, so she wouldn't hear. Woody nodded in understanding.

"I hope you're right, Buzz. There's something different about her. Her reaction to the whole thing was different from all the others. I can't figure it out!" Buzz sighed. His friend's attachment to normalcy would not help him in this situation.

'_By the end of the night,'_ he thought, reassuring himself, _'Woody will have this whole mess sorted out, and she'll be practically family by morning,'_ Buzz had a feeling, however, lodged in the pit of his stomach, that somehow the young girl's story would be very different from the others, and it would be up to him to get it out of her.

* * *

A/N: Whoa. Whoa. So Liz becomes a toy? What happens next? Will she tell Buzz what happened? Find out next sunday :3


	3. You Are A Toy

CHAPTER TWO- YOU ARE A TOY

Liz sat, sniffling and gasping heavily, by the window in the strange room she had woken up in. At first, she wondered why she couldn't cry properly, but then realized it was because she was made of plastic. Sitting with her blond hair over her face, Liz questioned herself. Was there something she had done, something that disallowed her to go to a proper heaven? Why was she stuck in such an insane world, where toys were alive, and she was condemned to be one of them?

"Are you all right, Miss?" Liz looked down from the windowsill, startled. Oh, it was just the spaceman. She had to admit that so far, he was the least alarming, looking closer to a person than the cowboy.

"I'm confused," She whispered shyly. The spaceman sighed.

"Trinity-" he began.

"Trinity?"

Now it was his turn to look confused.

"That's your name, isn't it? It said so on the box."

"I'm Liz,"

"Buzz," said the spaceman, placing a hand on his chest, "Buzz Lightyear,"

"Oh," There was an awkward silence. Liz pulled her knees to her chest again and looked out the window as Buzz cleared his throat.

"Come sit," He patted a spot overlooking the room right next to him. Hesitantly, Liz scooted over to his side.

"Trin- uh, Liz," Buzz coughed, "There- there's something about you. I... can't seem to put a finger on it, but you seem different."

Liz shot him a desperately bewildered look.

"Well, uh," He continued, "Most toys accepted themselves. I mean, Rex really thought he was a real dinosaur," Buzz pointed to the plastic T-Rex playing on the computer. "Slinky thought he was an actual dog, acted like it for a while too." He looked down sheepishly.

"And I don't like to bring it up, but I thought for a while," He sighed, "That I was an actual space ranger," Suddenly, Buzz let out a loud chuckle.

"I probably looked like a fool!"

Liz cracked a tiny smile, as Buzz grinned thoughtfully to himself.

"What was it like?" She asked quietly.

"What?"

"When you figured out that you were," Liz gulped, "a toy?"

Buzz took a deep breath, and began to explain.

"It all started to make sense. Everything I had ever questioned suddenly seemed right. My memories from being a space ranger before I was a toy felt trivial, and I knew that they weren't real memories. But there was still a hole, I felt like everything I knew was a lie." He looked at Liz.

"It's mostly the same for everyone," He said slowly, studying Liz's perplexed face. "Except for you, I see,"

"I do feel like everything I've ever learned about toys are a lie." Liz whispered, not sure how to explain, "but I know that inside, I'm still a human. My memories definitely don't seem "trivial," and nothing feels right, just confusing." She finished, looking down in dismay. Buzz's quizzical look softened as he clapped a large hand on her back.

"It is very difficult to overcome emotionally once you realize the truth, but I have a strong sense for people, and I can tell you aren't exactly deceptive." Leaning closer, he murmured, "Please, I understand that you may be scared now, but the best you can do for yourself is to trust me."

Taking a deep breath, Liz shuddered, and looked up at Buzz's expectant face. She marveled how even toys, seemingly flat and lifeless, could still have such soulful eyes. His blue ones were filled with pleading, almost longing, and it was then that Liz realized that he was genuinely trustworthy, even a potential friend.

Slowly, she started to tell Buzz about her human years. Time passed, and what she planned to be a quick explanation snowballed into a story of her life, nearly start to finish. He listened rapturously to what she had to say, laughing when she told him about her cousin falling into the fountain at the mall, and putting an arm around her when she told him of her parent's divorce. When Liz got to the part about the crash and her death, she started slowing once again, not wanting to scare away her new friend.

"So, we started to fight. Looking back now, it was stupid," She grimaced.

"Then, the first car hit us," Buzz looked alarmed for a moment, and then noticed the worried glance she threw him. Concern quickly replaced his shock.

"Go on, I can handle it,"

"So," Liz started again, "We were hit from behind. We were both fine, just in a lot of pain. I tried to find her phone, but Trisha looked scared." Panic began to creep up Liz's throat, as if she were back in the car, awaiting her fate. Buzz noticed her pained expression and prepared to help her down from the windowsill.

"We can stop if you-"

"No," gasped Liz, "um, I'm fine."

Buzz settled back down.

"I remember seeing another car run into my door, and the car rolled over. I already was banged up bad enough," Liz searched for the words that would help Buzz understand the last part. "That's when I slid out of my seat, and, well," She looked at Buzz with wide green eyes.

"I died,"

His eyebrows rose, then furrowed.

"Uh, would you mind repeating that?"

"No, you heard that right," Liz responded hoarsely. "I…died,"

Buzz looked down, and buried his forehead in his large palm.

"I-I shouldn't have told you," Whispered Liz brokenly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you,"

"You did no such thing. I'm horrified that someone as young as you would have to go through such a frightening ordeal, but if anything, it has shown me that you are strong to have overcome such a large change in lifestyle so quickly," Buzz stood up and smiled, extending his hand down to Liz.

"Come, let's go talk to Woody," Liz held on to his plastic fingers gratefully, and jumped down from the window to meet the cowboy for the very first time.

* * *

A/N: Oh hot dang, folks. Thanks to my reviewers/subscribers/favers :D

Seriously, you gotta pity the poor girl, wouldn't you be creeped out if you saw a raggedy cowboy guy that looks to be seven feet? Good Gawd. Well, back to studying.


	4. Telling The Cowboy

CHAPTER THREE- TELLING THE COWBOY

"Woody?" Called Buzz, as he walked by Liz's side. Woody peeped out from underneath the bed, a doodle pad in his hand.

"Yeah? Did you talk to her?"

"Yes…" Buzz confirmed, "but there's something you really should know,"

Liz cringed as Woody started to walk over, still taken aback by his strange, rag doll appearance. However, his large, chocolate eyes were filled with expectancy, leaving Liz with no choice but to tell him everything. Taking a deep breath, she stepped over to Woody.

"It's long. Can we go sit?"

Woody nodded and led her over to Bonnie's pillow, which had fallen on the floor. Although she was afraid of him before, Liz had to admit he was a really good listener. His face was lined with concern throughout her entire story, his lips parting slightly in surprise when she neared the end.

"So, see, after I" Liz gulped, "died, I woke up here, all tied up in that box." She was surprised to see that both toys had inched closer to her with every word, awed by yet horrified by her experiences. Woody's bewilderment melted into compassion.

"Boy, you've really been through a lot," He said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"But, do you believe me?" Liz asked, surprised.

"I can tell you're no liar,"

"Oh, thank God," Breathed Liz. She felt as if she matured in the past two hours. Who knew that ending up with a bunch of toys could be so sobering?

"Hey, HEY! Woody!" Called the slinky dog from across the room. Woody sighed.

"Be right there!" He turned back to Liz.

"Listen, I'll be right back. If there's anything you need, ask Buzz." Before she could say anything, Woody turned on his heel and ran floppily towards the dog.

Sighing, Liz looked down at her new body. Something was wrong. Very wrong. In fact…

"Hey, Buzz?" She called to the space ranger, who was conversing with a

Totoro doll. "Is there a mirror around here?"

The space toy nodded, and pointed to a large hand mirror propped against the leg of Bonnie's pink nightstand. Nearing it, Liz groaned in dismay.

Her body was perfect, almost like a shorter, more realistic version of a Barbie Doll, but that wasn't the issue. She was wearing bright pink cowboy boots, a ruffled pink skirt with little rosettes lining the bottom, and a white tube top. Worst of all, was a hot pink cardigan with tacky orange and green flowers all over it.

"Why," Liz thought aloud with a moan, "Did I have to be stuck with _these_ as clothes?"

Buzz stepped over to her.

"Is there a problem?"

She spun around to face him.

"Where's the box I came in?"

Wordlessly, Buzz pointed to the bed. It was such a long climb! Liz began to search for a way to tie her skirt to her legs, at least until she reached the top. Sensing her discomfort, Buzz shot her an understanding glance.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one is looking."

She smiled gratefully and began to climb. Looking up from his game of Texas Hold 'Em with Rex, Hamm stared at the doll clambering up the bedpost.

"Now that's a fine-"

"Shut it, Bacon, she's eleven," shouted Woody from across the room, grateful that Liz was too far away to hear.

"Whoa, then. Never mind."

Finally reaching the top of Bonnie's bed, Liz dashed over to her box. In bold letters it read:

**Trinity: Barbie's New Teen Sister!**

**She's Cool! She's Fun! She's Fourteen Years Old!**

Trinity? What kind of a name was _that_? Hesitantly, Liz flipped the box over and saw a picture of her doll self, clutching a cowboy hat to her head and waving about with the other arm, all while grinning madly. Next to the picture was a speech bubble.

**Hey there! I'm Trinity! I'm fashionable, fun, and all about being myself! I love my sister Barbie, and she's always there for me when I need her! (Barbie sold separately.) So what are you waiting for? Open up the box, and discover just how fun I can be!**

Shuddering, Liz dropped the box and stumbled away. Way too many exclamation points in one sentence. Regaining curiosity, she started tiptoeing back to the box, taking glances at the picture. The drawing was wearing a pink cowboy hat, so where was hers? Flipping the box over, Liz noted the pink hat clamped to the bottom. It would work as sort of a shield for her to hide her insecurities behind, but still. _Pink._ Oh, well. It would have to do. She ripped open the front and grabbed the hat, shoving it over her tumbled blond hair.

"Hey, are you all right up there?" Called Buzz.

"Just dandy!" Liz shouted back, with a hint of sarcasm. "I'll be right down."

Slowly, she started to edge her way down the bedpost again, finally dropping to the hardwood floor. Woody, who was standing by Buzz, looked in mock disbelief at her hat.

"You one of them cowfolk, lil' lady?" He drawled. Buzz winked at her, and suddenly, Liz found herself being scooped up and sat on top of Woody's shoulder. She giggled, her eleven-year-old self escaping from behind her teenage mask.

"The others can't wait to meet you," Said Woody in a cheerful voice, and truthfully, Liz longed to see the others. She never had any real friends. In school, she was always that awkward kid, who sat away from everyone else, listening to songs from 'Hairspray' and 'Wicked' on her iPod.

Woody introduced her to everyone in a line. First, were the Potato Heads, Mr. and Mrs.

"Oh, aren't you sweet!" exclaimed Mrs. Potato Head. "Oh, honey, isn't she just the cutest thing?"

"Sure, sure, nice to meetcha," grunted Mr. Potato head, along with a firm handshake. Three stuffed Peas and a trio of green alien figures peeked at her from behind the spud couple, looked her up and down, then shrugged, as if it was not big deal. Next up was Slink, the dog, Hamm, the piggy bank, and Rex, the plastic dinosaur, who all greeted her warmly, Hamm, for some reason, blushing lightly. Chuckles rasped his approval, while Mr. Pricklepants, Dolly, Buttercup, and Trixie the dinosaur all smiled and introduced themselves.

"Chuckles here is a trip, oh, Pricklepants is the artsy type, Dolly's got a sarcastic streak, and Trixie is just a gamer," clarified Buttercup, shaking his yellow mane. "Relax, take it easy, you'll have a great time."

"Oh, you unicorn types are ever so casual when it comes to first impressions," sighed Mr. Pricklepants, the porcupine. Dolly playfully snapped one of the straps of his lederhosen against his fur.

"Ouch!" He shouted dramatically, as Dolly slyly preened her purple felt hair.

The last toy to present herself was a cute cowgirl doll with a long, red, yarn braid, and the same build as Woody, only more feminine.

"Well, hey howdy hey there, partner!" She said enthusiastically, nearly dislocating Liz's shoulder with her earnest handshake, "I'm Jessie!"

Almost immediately after greeting Liz, she slipped out of line and sidled up to Buzz, who flushed with delight and pulled her closer.

"Are you guys…?" Started Liz. Jessie shrugged happily while a goofy grin crept onto Buzz's face.

"Alright, alright, get outta here before he goes all loopy," Woody crowed, waving his hand towards Buzz. Laughing, Jessie pulled on Buzz's hand, leading him away towards the windowsill. Suddenly, Buzz shed his shy, puppy-like appearance, and swept Jessie off her feet.

"_Buzz Lightyear al rescate_!" He bellowed in a thick Spanish accent, running away with Jessie in his arms.

"It's a long story," Woody said, dismissing Liz's confused stare. "Come on, I gotta show you around,"

* * *

A/N: Yey! I think it's safe to say that Liz and Woody are friends! Thanks to my favers/subscribers/commenters! Every little email I get means alot to me 3


	5. The Cowboy's Secrets

CHAPTER FOUR- THE COWBOY'S SECRETS

It wasn't until then Liz had realized she really hadn't taken in her surroundings at all.

"Come on, I gotta show you around," the Sheriff had said. Noticing that she had been fairly distant for a while, Liz nodded in agreement.

"Okay lil' lady, time to go," He drawled, offering his arm. Giggling, Liz took it. Secretly, the rag doll was relieved that she was so easily entertained. He enjoyed making her laugh, making someone happy. Sure, being a leader was all well and fine. He kept toys safe and organized, but Woody's weekly meetings were more tedious than enjoyable, and even he knew it. The fact that he was the figure of authority in Bonnie's room made it difficult for him to keep friends, as most of the toys tended to keep their distance from him. Even those Woody had been partnered with since the beginning, like Hamm and Slink, were slowly drifting away.

"Mr. Woody?" Liz's face popped up in front of his, her green eyes wide. "Are you all right?" He snapped back to reality and cleared his throat.

"Jus' fine," reassured Woody, a friendly smile dancing on his lips, "but I'm just Woody."

"Oh."

Hesitantly, Woody began to reach towards Liz, but drew back at the last minute and coughed into his fist.

"So, ready for that tour?" He asked. Liz nodded eagerly.

"Yep!" She watched as Woody's eyes glazed over slightly and his easygoing smile slipped from view. Liz did see him extend his arm out to her. She watched him take it back. Unfortunately for Woody, that simple gesture allowed Liz a glimpse of a very secret part of him. Woody, she realized, no longer allowed himself to get attached to anyone. In the short time that she had been in this strange, large room, Liz noticed that he acted distant around nearly everyone. Even Buzz.

There was still a fairly long way to go before they reached their first destination, so Liz took the extra time to drink in her surroundings. Underneath her was a bright green rug littered with colorful wooden beads and string. An attempt at a necklace, cylindrical beads threaded onto a bright red piece of yard, and tied off with a crude knot, was sprawled out before her. Raising her gaze, Liz noted the bright blue walls and the yellow polka-dotted curtains. Although rain was dripping down the windows, the interior stayed bright, and very cheerful. A large, white, slatted closet door loomed in the distance. Being open, Liz started to veer off sideways to catch a glimpse of what lay inside. Patterned shirts were stacked neatly inside little cubbies, and hyper-colored jumpers dangled off of hangers. Little yellow rain boots lay off to the side, with mud crusted on the soles. The item that stood out the most, however, was a large pink tutu, draped carefully across a shelf.

"Hey Woody?" Liz called. Woody had gone ahead, still lost in his thoughts.

"What is it?"

"If I'm a toy, do I have an owner or something?"

A glimmer of happiness glinted across Woody's chocolate eyes.

"Yeah, her name's Bonnie. She's a really sweet girl. I think you'll like her. Turning six this month, actually. Went away for a vacation this weekend."

There was a silence.

"Woody?"

"Yeah?"

"What's it like to be played with?"

Woody stopped walking. Taking a thoughtful pause, he opened his mouth, struggling to find the words to describe the time he had with Bonnie that he cherished so deeply.

"It's like…you're alive, even though at that moment, you aren't moving. It's like everything feels right, every worry you've ever had and ever will have just…" He trailed off. "The happiness is nearly overbearing. You feel like you're about to burst right out of your stuffing, or, plastic?" Woody chuckled. "It all depends on who's playing with you, and how you feel about them,"

"Is that how you feel with Bonnie?" Liz asked, genuinely curious. He nodded.

"Bo would love it here…" Woody said wistfully before he could stop himself.

"Bo?"

"Long story,"

"We got time,"

"Well, we're here already," Woody mumbled, sounding slightly irked. A giant wicker box sat in front of them

"I'm sorry,"

"Nothing to feel sorry about. Now, this is the toy box, but we barely go in here. Most of the time, Bonnie keeps us on her bed…"

Liz would like to say that she was listening, but truthfully, her mind was somewhere else. Woody was hiding something, she knew for a fact, and she was determined beyond belief to pry is from him.

* * *

A/N: Sorry 'bout the lame filler chapter, folks. You'll get a superduper long one one wednesday :3


	6. After A While

CHAPTER FIVE- AFTER A WHILE

"Aw, come on, Rexy, please?"

"Fine, but only 'cause you said please." Rex groaned, as Liz clambered onto his back.

Morning sun filtered in through Bonnie's colorful curtains, brightening the room as the last of the toys were rousing from sleep. Liz had been awake for a while, convincing Rex to let her ride him around the room. Woody had been up as well, sitting in the corner and jotting down notes on a doodle pad.

"Hey, Rex, take me over to Woody, would ya?" Liz said, patting his neck.

"Fine with me," He grumbled, striding over to the cowboy. As they approached him, Liz slid off Rex's back and onto the floor.

"Thanks!" She gushed, flashing him a perfect Barbie smile.

"Anytime, uh, I guess," He blurted, before running away towards Trixie.

Woody lifted his head in the distance.

"You've pretty much got him wrapped around your finger, don't you?" He mused, wearing a slight smile. "Being a Barbie and all." Liz raised an eyebrow.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're pretty. That's what I mean."

"Just pretty?'" Liz fake pouted, plopped herself into Woody's lap and fluttered her lashes coyly.

"Hey, you're eleven," he replied, tweaking Liz's nose, "I can't say much else." Liz pouted again.

"Twelve, since a month ago!" She exclaimed, nearly knocking her pink hat off her head. "You were the one who gave me this!" Liz stretched her arms out to the side, showing off her oversized leather motorcycle jacket. Woody just chuckled.

"Actually, Ken sent it to me…_I_ would've gotten you something, but that cardigan…" He gave a mock shudder.

"Woody Pride, you don't mean to tell me that this was a regift?" Liz narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Come on, I've done enough work."

"Ooh, Mr. Pride, giving up his official duties to spend time with lil' ol' me!" Liz drawled with a smirk.

"Oh, come on." Grasping arms, they started to walk over to where the rest of the toys were.

Ever since Liz arrived in that pink box two months ago, Woody had cheered up significantly, or had appeared too. Fortunately, his feelings were becoming much easier to control around the others, allowing him to break out of his shell every once and a while. He was starting to have _fun_again.

But that unexplainable hole was still there.

Every once in a while, he'd still have to excuse himself, feeling that dark void in his heart split open, and slip away to the windowsill to reflect in peace. The Sheriff himself never really knew the reasons to his own dark demeanor. Sure, there would be pieces, little memories that he tried to grasp. But in the end, they all slipped away. No one seemed to neither notice nor care when Woody chose to brood alone by the window, except for a young Barbie doll with cheerful dark green eyes and light blond hair. Liz.

Shaking his head, Woody looked down at the girl smiling goofily next to him. Why exactly was he so fond of her? He obviously didn't like her romantically. Liz was much too young for that. She definitely wasn't anything like-

"Woody? Liz had chirped next to him. "Are you all right?"

He did contemplate telling her everything. Telling her "no," he wasn't all right. Finally, he took a deep breath.

"Yes." He replied simply. They had reached the rest of the toys, and Jessie was looking at them expectantly from the computer desk, motioning at Liz to come up. Casting a look at Woody, Liz pulled him down. Even crouching, she had to stand on the tip-toes of her cowboy boots to embrace him.

"No, you're not." she whispered in his ear, before she scrambled up the side of the desk to meet Jessie.

"Hey," Liz greeted her shyly, the two still not knowing each other too well.

"Howdy!" Jessie said back, tipping her hat. "We're starting up a game of Snake. We all know I'm gonna win, but wanna play anyway?" Liz smirked. A challenge.

"Oh, you're gonna win, are ya?" She questioned. "You've never played me before."

"Oooooh!" chorused the aliens as a mischievous grin slid onto Jessie's lips.

"You're on, Barbie," She growled with a smile, tightening her bright red hat. "Let's do this!"

* * *

An hour had passed, and Jessie had her eyes glued to the computer screen in awe.

"You're good," She murmured, as Liz's snake grew and grew.

"One point from 5,000" she replied with a smirk. Just as she had hit the box, the head of the snake veered into the wall, and "GAME OVER" flashed onto the screen.

"Care to beat that?" Liz asked. Jessie slammed her head against the computer monitor.

"Fine, you win this time," She griped, suddenly spinning around then flicking the front of Liz's hat. "But you are SO going down in Super Smash Bros. once we get the N64 running," She finished with a huge grin. Liz smiled back, relieved that Jessie wasn't really angry.

Footsteps and voices suddenly entered the hallway and stopped close to

Bonnie's door. Gasping, Jessie closed out of snake and turned off the computer.

"Norah wasn't supposed to get here till one!" gasped Rex.

"Norah?" Liz looked at Woody questioningly.

"Bonnie's babysitter." He whispered back. The voices started nearing once again, reaching the doorway. The toys exchanged nervous glances, then dropped where they were standing.

Bonnie giggled as she led a smiling Norah by the hand into her room.

"You haven't been here in…" Started Bonnie, pondering her next word. "Forever!" She finished with a squeal. Norah grinned and laughed.

"I missed you too, Bon, what do you want to do today? Barbies?" She asked. Bonnie's expression went vacant for a moment.

"I only have one, and she's not Barbie. She's Trinity!" corrected Bonnie, striding over to collect Liz, still sitting by the computer. Grasping her in her tiny fist, Bonnie stepped back over to Norah. "See?"

For the first time, Liz managed a good look at Norah, and the first thing she noticed was the hair. Norah had black hair, and a lot of it. Her bleach-blond dyed bangs were clipped to the top of her head, and pink was streaked throughout her many long layers. Liz's sight traveled down to Norah's face. Bright blue eyes stared back at her, heavily lined with black mascara and eyeliner. Another thing Liz noted was Norah's skin. It was very, very pale, yet extraordinarily flawless, almost like hers, and she was a Barbie! Everything else about this mysterious babysitter seemed perfectly normal, however. Norah donned an oversized red lifeguard's sweatshirt, and black leggings that stretched down to her ankles. Her shoes were fairly simple, black low-top converse, but were decked out in hot pink laces.

"Norah, Norah!" Bonnie chirped. "I almost forgot!" Norah parted her lips in a faked surprise.

"What is it, Bon?"

"It's your birthday soon, right?"

"That's right, Bon! I'll be fifteen!"

"You choose what you wanna do then!" Bonnie exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air.

"Hmm…" Norah eyed Liz. "This doll looks awfully sad!" Bonnie examined the doll in her hands.

"No she doesn't!"

"I can sense it," Norah whispered mysteriously. Bonnie looked on in wonder.

"What should we do?" She demanded. "I don't want her to be sad!" Norah rested her chin on her fist, as she appeared to think.

"I think…" Norah began, after a while, "she needs a makeover!" Bonnie's face lit up in delight.

"Yeah! What do we need?"

"Sharpies, and lots of them!" Norah cried. Bonnie saluted.

"On it! To infinity, and beyond!" she cried, sliding down the hall, into her mother's office. Liz glanced at Buzz, who gave a light chuckle, his face unmoving. Before long, Bonnie had dashed back, the pocket of her jumper filled with markers.

Oh, Boy.

* * *

"Alrighty, Bon-Bon," Norah said, affectionately ruffling Bonnie's hair. "What are we gonna do with Miss Trinity?" Bonnie thought for a moment, setting Liz down on the kitchen table.

"Lets make her hair like mine!" She shouted joyously. "Brown, brown!"

"Okay!" Norah pulled out a brown marker and soon began neatly coloring Liz's hair. It took a while, but finally, she had effectively dyed each strand a chocolate brown color. Pulling out a blue marker, Liz asked, "What next, eye color?" Bonnie shook her head.

"No, I like her eyes. They're like the cowgirl's. Pretty!" She grinned. Norah nodded in agreement.

"Boots, then? Hat?" Bonnie smiled and handed Norah a black marker. Soon, her once vivid pink boots and hat had been colored as well, and Bonnie began to pout.

"There's nothing else to do!" She moaned, stroking Liz's newly colored hair. Norah snapped her fingers like she remembered something.

"Be right back!"

She soon returned with her bag, a little backpack designed to look like a dog.

"Your mommy told me that you needed clothes for Trinity," Norah smiled, pulling out a plastic baggie from her backpack. "And I happened to have some extra Barbie clothes lying around. I even shrank them in the wash so they'd fit her!" Bonnie took out a black and flower printed, high-waisted, flowy skirt, and a plain white v-neck t-shirt.

"They're so nice," She thought aloud.

"They're vintage." Norah replied with a wink.

About half an hour later, dresses, skirts, shoes, and shirts were littered about on the table, and Liz had never looked better. The girls had finally decided on the initial flowered skirt and v-neck t-shirt, and left on the motorcycle jacket, boots, and hat. Picking up Liz, Bonnie yawned and rubbed her eyes. Norah threw her a compassionate glance.

"Ready for a nap?" Bonnie nodded, dropping Liz back onto the table, as Norah picked her up and brought her to the couch. "We can watch a movie as you fall asleep!" Drowsy eyes brightening somewhat, Bonnie cracked a slight smile.

"Finding Nemo?"

Norah laughed. "Whatever you want, kiddo." As the two walked into the living room, Liz lifted her head, looking for a way off the table.

"Psst." She crawled over to the edge to see Buzz standing beneath her.

"Woody sent me to rescue you," he explained in a whisper. "You look awfully different." Liz giggled.

"Did they do a good job?" She asked quietly, standing up and twirling. Buzz silently applauded.

"Fantastic, now we need to get you down. If you jump, I'll catch you." He said in a low voice. Liz cringed, looking down at the long drop. It was only three feet, but seemed more like fifteen to her.

"Go on," Buzz ushered, looking around. Squeezing her eyes shut, Liz launched herself off the edge, and landed-

-effortlessly into Buzz's awaiting arms.

"See, what did I tell you?" He said smugly, sliding Liz onto the wood floor, only to have her insistently scramble onto his shoulders. "Okay, okay, fine, but you owe me a game of checkers when we went back." Liz slid her pinky into his and shook.

"Deal."

* * *

A/N: WOW. Long chapter, eh? Yes, you'll still get another on Friday because I love you all 3


	7. The Return of Mrs Nesbit

**CHAPTER SIX- RETURN OF MRS. NESBIT**

When Liz and Buzz arrived back at Bonnie's room, the crimson sun was already hanging low on the horizon, and Woody was waiting by the doorway, looking anxious.

"Where were you?" He hissed, "I thought you both were stranded! I was just about to go out and get you!" Liz quietly slid off of Buzz's shoulders, and dropped her gaze to the ground. Sure, she knew that she did nothing wrong, but getting in trouble was still uncomfortable.

"Now, it's not anyone's fault, Woody," Buzz growled. "It just took Bonnie a while to fall asleep, that's all." Woody sighed and held his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, it's just, if anything happened-"

"It's fine now, we're safe," Liz sighed, relieved that he wasn't really angry, just worried.

"I know, I'm sorry," Woody apologized, grasping her shoulder. Buzz thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"Hey, weren't we about to play checkers?" He reminded Liz, who nodded eagerly and went to follow him to the board. Just as Buzz sat down, however, little footsteps echoed outside of Bonnie's door. No one bothered to yell "places!" There wasn't enough time, and each toy just dropped where they were standing.

Bonnie stepped in, carrying a little wicker basket, and glanced around the room, her eyes finally falling on Woody. Liz gave Buzz a furtive glance, who just murmured, "short nap," and fell motionless once again.

Once Bonnie had picked up Woody, she started towards Buzz. She was being very quiet, which usually meant the she was thinking up a plot for one of her games. Finally reaching Buzz, she hesitated to grab him.

"Aw, I'm sorry, am I interrupting your game?" She asked, glancing at Liz. Waiting for a moment before she picked up Buzz and held him caringly in her fist, she added, "You can get Jessie to play with you, If you want." Liz held her breath as Bonnie started to back out of the Room with Woody, Buzz, and the wicker basket. When she reached the door, she turned back to the room, addressing each of her toys with her wide, innocent eyes.

"I'll just be borrowing these two for a little tea," she said quaintly, tapping the wicker basket with her finger. "We'll be back in a bit."

Waiting after she slammed the door behind her, Liz rose and ran over to Jessie.

"How come she talks to us?" She asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. Jessie blinked, the concern showing in her emerald eyes.

"We've slipped up too many times. She's starting to come into a room when we're not ready to get back to our places, and walk in on us in a totally different place than before. Once, Trixie was playing World of Warcraft, and it was still open!" Jessie stopped, gathering her thoughts. "Fortunately, she's not old enough to know that this isn't normal, but eventually, we'll need to start being more careful." She finished dramatically. Suddenly, a huge grin spread across her face.

"So, how 'bout them checkers?"

* * *

A couple of hours passed, and Jessie was lying dejectedly on the floor, face down.

"That. Was. Our. _Eleventh. _game!" she groaned, flipping herself over to face Liz. "And your eleventh win. Care to share?"

"Share what?" Jessie's mouth popped open.

"There's no secret to your success?"

"Nope," Liz said, shaking her head, but something else had captured Jessie's attention. Stumbling through Bonnie's bedroom door was none other than Woody and Buzz, both guffawing loudly.

"Woody, Buzz!" Liz stumbled to her feet.

"Wait!" Jessie called after her. Liz furrowed her brow.

"Jessie…what's wrong with them?" She asked, alarmed, as Jessie shook her head.

"Ugh, after every single tea party!" Jessie moaned. It was then Liz realized that Buzz was wearing a tiny blue hat and a pink apron, complete with a large heart sewn onto the chest. It took everything to stifle a laugh of her own, as Jessie rushed forward when Woody began to stumble.

"The h-ha-at looks good right? Sh-tell me, the hat looks g-goodd," Buzz hiccupped, leaning on Woody for support. Woody loosely tipped his own hat back.

"Dear Madame, Mrs. Nesbit!" he slurred, tenderly placing a hand on his shoulder, "lemme tell you, you look sh-so so fabulous-s." He tearfully looked in Liz's direction. "Doesn't sh-she look sh-tunning?" Liz let out a snicker.

"They're _wasted_," She whispered to Jessie, who cracked a smile.

"Is that the term?" Jessie giggled, as she led Woody over to the closet. He was still spouting out compliments to Buzz, who was bursting into obnoxious laughter, every time he gushed out a new one.

"Jessie," Woody groaned, "Why won't you ever w-wear a dress for me, 'c-cause you'd look so…pretty!" He finished, sobbing about how she was growing too old for dressing up. Her expression had changed from amused to irritated.

"Lizzy, here, looks so darlin,'" He continued on, planting a sloppy kiss on Liz's cheek. "She's got a-a-a pretty sh-kirt, and…s-so beautiful!" Liz wiped off Woody's saliva begrudgingly and helped Jessie tuck him into one of her shirts with Buzz.

"Time for bed now, Woody, Buzz," Jessie seethed, chucking more shirts at them until they had substantial covers. Sighing, she turned back to Liz.

"We better stay in here tonight, just in case they decide to do something stupid,"

"Like what?"

"Well, once Bonnie had them play "Wicked," and lets just say that Woody decided to try "defying gravity." She finished, teeth clenched. Liz looked around, the glow of Buzz's space suit illuminating the closet.

"Just curious," She whispered," But why are we in a closet?"

"The darkness seems to calm them down, much easier to take care of," Jessie sighed. "I love them both, and I know it's technically Bonnie's fault for when they get like this, but I seriously hate them when they've had too much Darjeeling." Liz nodded in agreement.

"You gotta admit though, it's pretty hilarious," She grinned.

"True." Jessie laughed, and held out her pinky. "Get it on video next time, promise?"

"Promise," Liz chuckled, locking their pinkies together. With a slight shock, she realized that it had been quite a while since she had a friend who was actually a girl. It felt good to talk to someone her own gender, instead of shying away from them, as she usually did. Jessie was nice though, she didn't judge Liz, and made her feel comfortable. Jessie reached over and grabbed a shirt off of Buzz and Woody.

"Lie down," She commanded gently, and Liz did so. Dropping down next to her, Jessie smiled.

"Thanks," she yawned, turning over under the shirt. Liz propped herself up on her elbows.

"For what exactly?"

"Being a friend." The cowgirl replied simply, conjuring up a wide grin from Liz.

"Anytime."

* * *

A/N: Whew! Another long chapter! And as for Mrs. Nesbit? I just had to stick her in there. She's a classic ;)


	8. Planning

CHAPTER SEVEN- PLANNING

"Jess! Hey, hey, Jessie! Wake up!" whispered a familiar voice. Liz groaned, and rolled over to face the mysterious person, but it was just Woody, attempting to shake the dead-asleep cowgirl awake. Staring slightly past him, Liz noticed Buzz, looking mostly embarrassed, but also excited. Excited? There wasn't really much to be excited about, was there? Especially after last night.,,

"Ah, Liz, you're awake." Buzz coughed, blushing madly. Liz smirked and held up an imaginary teacup.

"Good day to you too, Mrs. Nesbit!" She crowed, as Buzz flushed even deeper.

"Look, I know I acted crazy last night, but it really was beyond my control," He said in a low voice, his gaze dropping to the ground.

"Oh, you were _way_ more than crazy," Jessie yawned, Woody finally rousing her from her deep slumber. "You and Woody, whoa boy, were makin' out like there was no tomorrow." Having said her piece, Jessie dropped back onto Bonnie's shirt and fell fast asleep. Woody's eyes bore into Buzz, glimmering with shock.

"What?" He nearly shouted, incredulous. Buzz's face positively radiated with a crimson blush.

"She's kidding, don't worry about it." Liz mumbled, wiping sleep from her eyes. There was a silence from Buzz and Woody, still struggling to overcome the initial surprise. Finally, Woody cleared his throat.

"Well then. Uh, Liz, do you mind helping me get everyone together? We need to have a meeting."

"Wait," Liz thought aloud, confused. "It's a Saturday, so isn't Bonnie home today? We can't do it while she's around." Woody merely winked.

"Oh, you'll see," He said mysteriously, gently pushing her out of the closet doors. "Just get everyone together while I try to get Jessie up." Liz saluted him, and rushed into Bonnie's room to meet the rest of her friends.

"Hey, guys!" She shouted to the boys, Slink, Hamm, Buttercup, and Mr. Pricklypants, who seemed to be enthralled by a movie they had illegally burned to a DVD. "Woody wants everyone gathered, mind helpin' me?" All four of them nodded eagerly, and erupted into chatter about the film while trying to rouse Bullseye from his sleep.

It was easy enough getting the rest of the group together, and soon all of Bonnie's toys were gathered around by the closet, eager to hear from Woody, but all slightly uneasy by Bonnie's sudden disappearance. As the air of tension surrounding the group grew, and so did Liz's anxiety. What was there to be nervous about?

Finally, Woody burst from the closet in a business-like manner, with Buzz following suit. Jessie lingered behind them, with a satisfied smirk on her face. Chances were, she managed to torture the two a bit before completely waking up.

"All right, simmer down," Woody stated calmly yet firmly. The noise immediately died down, and toys big and small turned an ear to listen. "I have received word from one of the knick-knacks downstairs that Bonnie and her Mother left for a week's vacation just this morning," He mumbled sadly. The rest of the toys sighed, already missing playtime. Secretly, Liz was glad. Sure, playtime was sort of fun, but she wasn't built to enjoy being tossed around like everyone else. On the inside, she was still one hundred percent human. "But," Woody continued, "Buzz and I were thinking, well, we kind of rarely do anything for ourselves anymore, and we came up with an idea. Buzz, would you like to tell the audience?"

"Oh please, not Hamlet," begged Buttercup. "Romeo and Juliet was enough of a bust."

"Uh, no…" Buzz faltered, but soon regained his enthusiasm. "Open stage night!" He shouted, kicking up his heels with flair, a move he had acquired from his Spanish side. "I will simplify. We're going to set up the stage, and anyone can get up there and do anything they possibly wish!" Liz shot a glance at Mr. Pricklepants, who's beady eyes were already lighting up with the possibility of going on the stage, three books stacked like stairs, one on top of the other.

"That's right," Finished Woody, "Whatever your talent is, you can show it off. It may be singing, dancing, putting on a one-man production of Oklahoma, the length doesn't matter."

"It sure does to me," harrumphed Mr. Potato Head, eying Mr. Pricklypants who shot him a death glare. Woody ignored their fussing and closed the meeting with a couple of lines about practicing and doing your best, while Buzz picked out a few books to pull down from Bonnie's shelf and use as a stage. At last, everyone separated into their own little corner to plan and practice their act, using various items to block of their areas. No, the precaution wasn't taken in a competitive nature. The toys merely wanted to surprise each other.

Woody chewed his lip and sort of dilly-dallied over to Liz, an idea hatching in his mind. Yes, it was good, and no, it wasn't hard to pull off. But would she go for it? Only one way to find out…

He found her sitting by the window, staring into the bleak skies overhead. This was a good sign. At least she wasn't planning on doing anything else.

"Yello," He greeted her cheerfully. Liz turned around and flashed him a toothless smile.

"Hey!" She said back. "What's up?" Woody sat beside her and leaned his back against the glass.

"So, you aren't doing anything for tonight, I see…" He started hesitantly. Liz shot him a quizzical look.

"Do I have to? I don't really have a special talent." She stated simply. "I used to be able to ride a bike with no handlebars, but uh…I can't anymore." Inspired, Woody tipped his hat to the side.

"So, if I had something for you, would you go on with me?" He asked.

"Sure! What can I do?"

"You like Big & Rich?"

"Yeah…wait, this doesn't involve saving horses and riding cowboys, does it?" She whispered cautiously, Rex getting a little too close to their meeting place.

Woody winked, and drew out Bullseye's saddle from behind his back.

* * *

A/N: Okay, if you have never heard the song 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy, then f*ck you.

NOOOO. I kid, I kid. But wanna preview of the next chapter? Go look up the damn song :)

Thanks for reviewing/subbing/faving as always, folks, and sorry about the late update! I promise the Wednesday upload will be right on time!


	9. Celebration

CHAPTER EIGHT- CELEBRATION

It turned out in the end that their little act _did _in fact involve saving horses and riding cowboys.

"But," Woody had explained, "we'll be interpreting the song in a more, erm, funny way. Not like-"

"Yeah, yeah," Liz interjected with a snort. "Not as in _Save a horse, do it with a cowboy_. You really think I'd agree if I knew it was like that?" Woody hid his forehead in his palm.

"I apologize, that was stupid."

"It never happened." Liz growled excitedly, cracking her non-existent knuckles. "Let's do this!"

Hours passed, as the clouds separated and the sky turned from a dank gray, to a pink, then crimson, and finally indigo when the sun finally sunk below the horizon. The toys were touching up on their acts, glancing at the clock every so often. Taking a cue from the others, Liz looked up at the family computer's clock. 6:57. In only a couple of minutes, practicing would be closed and the show would start, then Liz and Woody-

"Nervous?" To speak of the devil, the sheriff had just trotted up to her side on Bullseye.

"Duh-huh, no!" exclaimed Liz. "I'm psyched! We'll go down as legends! Why…are you nervous?"

"Nope."

The two excitedly approached the stage, having mastered their act an hour before. "Besides, it's not like we're going first."

"True."

Finally, the clock struck seven, and Buzz whistled through his fingers, a signal for all to gather by the stage.

"Alright, so I'm just going to lay down some guidelines here." He started, as whispers and murmurs respectively died down. "Basically, there are no rules, so just have a good time. Also, we managed to get together everyone's acts so we have them in order. And Totoro here has already requested to go first." Totoro had a wide, face-splitting grin across his face, and something like a gourd flute in his hand. Hobbling up onto the stage, he fingered the flute happily, and when he finally reached the top of the three books, he began to play. A slow, three note riff emerged from the hollowed instrument. After a good fifteen rounds of the same melody, it became apparent that such was the only thing he intended on playing. Five minutes of the same, dull melody, and more than half of the audience falling asleep, Woody started a slow clap, in which everyone joined in attempts to get the furry stuffed animal off the stage. Looking slightly confused, but still extremely pleased with himself, Totoro bowed politely, and leapt into the crowd, causing toys to scatter from his path.

Right after, an unknown Iron Man figure fired up an instrumental of 'Get Low' on the computer, and began to wail out the lyrics.

"_From the windoooooooow_

_To the wall!_

_The sweat runs down my-"_

"Wait, wait, stop." Woody shouted over the music. He nodded at Trixie up by the laptop, who dutifully shut off the music. "Do you even live here?" Iron Man shook his head shamefully, walked off the stage, and trudged out the front door. "Oo-kay." Woody mumbled. "Guess we're next, Liz."

The stage was dark, except for a faint glow emitting from the computer. In one corner, Woody stood solemnly, his hat shielding his eyes. Standing in a similar way was Liz in the opposite corner. A soft humming drifted from the laptop speakers and gradually grew louder.

_DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DE-DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DAA-DAAAAA__  
__DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DE-DUM-DE-DE-DUM, DE-DAA-DAA-DAA-DAA-DAAAA! _

_Ping!_

A gravelly electric guitar part emerged from the single pluck of a string, the cue for Liz to lift her head and begin to sing.

"_Well, I walk into the room__  
__Passing out hundred dollar bills__  
__And it kills and it thrills like the horns on my Silverado grill,__  
__And I buy the bar a double round of crown__  
__And everybody's getting down__  
__An' this town ain't never gonna be the same!" _Suddenly, Woody rushed onstage, vest, hat, and belt missing.

"_Cause I saddle up my horse__  
__And I ride into the city!"_ She chimed.

"_I make a lot of noise__  
__Cause the girls__  
__They are so prit-tay!" _Woody continued, using more of a western twang than he usually had._  
"__Riding up and down Broadway__  
__On my old stud Leroy__  
__And the girls say-" _

"_Save a horse!" _Liz shouted, pointing to Woody, who turned around revealing a saddle on his back. "_Ride a cowboy!" _With that cue, Bullseye strutted onstage wearing Woody's missing hat and vest, and rested his hooves on his swaying hips. "_Save a horse, ride a cowboy!" _She chanted once again.

"_Well I don't give a dang about nothing__  
__I'm singing and Bling-Blanging__  
__While the girls are drinking__  
__Long necks down!" _Woody growled, glancing at the audience, who seemed to be cracking little smiles, then started towards Liz.

"Stay back," Mouthed Bullseye to Liz, along to Slinky's voice, who was all to willing to participate. "It could be feral." This little stunt caused the audience to literally guffaw in laughter. With that, Woody roared furiously and leapt at Bullseye, pinning him to the ground. "Get off me, you mangy beast!"

What then progressed was possibly the most outrageous slow-motion fight ever displayed, complete with smushed cheeks and lolling tongues whenever someone got "punched." An added bonus was an excellently placed roundhouse kick preformed by Bullseye that sent Woody flying off the stage. Liz sat on the sidelines, chuckling as the two "battled." At last, Bullseye was hailed champion, leaving a dazed Woody lying in a heap. The three took bows as the audience cheered with approval, and clapped loudly.

"So, do you think they liked it?" Liz asked Woody with a smirk. Abruptly, Woody pulled her up into a hug and spun her around, ending it with a completely sober peck on the cheek.

"We were a hit!"

Next up on stage was none other than Buzz Lightyear, looking extremely pleased with himself, with not a stitch of nervousness on his face. Clearing his throat, he adjusted his special black bow tie, sent a loving glance to Jessie in the audience, and cued the instrumental. A quick piano riff accompanied with a rattle of some sort filled the atmosphere, Buzz picking up the springy beat before he started to sing in a surprisingly silky voice.

"_L, is for the way you look at me,_

_O is for the only one I see,_

_V is very very extra ordinary,_

_E, is even more than anyone that you adore_!" His bright blue eyes locked on Jessie's sparkling green ones, Buzz stepped down from the stage and walked his way through the crowd until he reached his sweetheart, who was grinning wildly as he sang the next lines.

"_And love, is all that I can give to you,_

_Love, is more than just a game for two,_

_Two in love can make it,_

_Take my heart and please don't break it,_

_Love was made for me and you!"_

With adoring eyes, he took Jessie's waist and led her into a dance, nothing fancy, but the attraction was there nonetheless. The pair swayed to the jazzy tune of the trumpet, both nearly bursting with affection for each other. Liz smiled and looked up at Woody, curious for his reaction. What she saw, however, confused her. Instead of a grin that she expected to see, a gaunt, dark expression had taken root to his face. Without a word, he turned on his heel stalked away to underneath Bonnie's bed. Something was dreadfully wrong with him, and it was something that Liz would not let slide. Taking one last glance at the faces of the happy couple, Liz lowered her hat over her eyes and silently followed him.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know everyone and their brother has written some sort of Toy Story fic involving a karaoke-like event. But I wanted to give it a go REALLY REALLY BADLY. In fact, this was the chapter I looked forward to writing the most (I pre-planned the story ^_^) But it'll go on for one more chapter for those of you who are getting sick of the cliche-ness, because chapter ten is where it's ALL GOING DOWN :D

Thanks to all of my reviewers/favers/subscribers etc! I LOVE YOU GUYS, and each email I get from this site makes me bubbly with excitement 3


	10. Confession

**CHAPTER NINE – CONFESSION**

Woody was sat on a lone building block when Liz finally located him between dust bunnies and old cardboard books, a miniature plastic teacup dangling from his fingertips.

"Woody, no, Woody!" She shouted desperately, as he began to raise the plastic cup to his lips. "Stop it!" He peered up at her from under his hat, his eyes flat, even lifeless. Liz, frightened of Woody's sudden change, ran over and effectively kicked the cup right out of his hands. There was no difference in Woody's sad expression, as his eyes followed the bouncing cup that halted when it hit the wall. Slowly, his dark brown eyes swept across the floor and finally rose up to meet Liz's.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because, Sheriff," Liz spat, "stumbling around all drunk on pretend Darjeeling is no way to solve problems!" She forcefully dragged over another nearby building block, sat down, crossed her legs and arms, and fixed a menacing expression onto her face. "Now talk." The cowboy sighed heavily.

"I really wish you let me keep my drink." The female doll didn't budge. "I think I've figured it out. What that hole is." He said, holding a hand over where his heart would be. There was a long silence before Liz finally spoke.

"I've been waiting for that," She whispered. Woody cast a sad glance in her direction and hesitantly scooted his block directly next to hers. When he remained silent, she added simply, "If you want to tell me about it, I'm all yours." Barely after she had finished the sentence, Woody opened his mouth started blurting out, afraid that would lose the nerve to explain.

"Buzz and Jessie, did you know they took ten years to finally get it right? Ten! Buzz was a coward and Jessie was completely oblivious to his feelings. Yet here they are, all hunky-dory, singin' and dancing,' and what happened with Bo and I? She got sold. All those years of love, and passion, all down the drain…" Woody trailed off, and held his head in his palm. Liz, however, had her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Bo? Who's she?"

"A lamp."

"A lamp. Really. Just a second ago, you were talking about passion, and now she's just a lamp." Sighing, she started to get up, knowing that Woody would stop her. "Fine then. I'll just, uh, go."

"Wait." Woody grasped her wrist and pulled her back down onto the block. "She wasn't just a lamp. She was a figurine on a lamp, blond hair, prettiest blue eyes you'll ever see, that just lit up all the time. She was sweet, really knew how to pluck those heartstrings of mine." He grinned, memories flooding back. "She belonged to my old owner's sister, and I always remember her sheep were always getting into trouble…" Liz noted, alarmed, how Woody's grin suddenly faded to a shadowy grimace. "Then she got sold, in a yard sale. I mean, it's been long enough and everything, about four years. Sure, I miss her, but we all gotta move on at some point." He chuckled darkly, his eyes suddenly filled with life again, and turned to Liz. "What if I never have anyone to love again? I mean sure, Buzz and Jessie are fun and everything, but I can't tell them what I'm thinking. I can't rely on them to always be there, since they've got each other. I mean, heck, I've been drifting away from everyone." Liz looked at him smartly with her wide jade eyes.

"You do know what you're talking to me about right now, am I correct?" Her chin propped up on her fist, she exaggeratingly drawled, "_I can't tell 'em what I'm thinkin', I can't rely on 'em,_ yaddah, yaddah. Why Sheriff," She sighed with a smile, "I might not be much, but at least you have me." With that bold statement, Liz hopped off her block, and strutted out from under the bed to listen to Hamm and his genius stand up comedy. Her words lingered in the Cowboy's brain long after she left.

_ "At least you have me_," He repeated, slightly dazed. "Huh."

* * *

When Woody finally emerged from the bed, Mr. Pricklypants was finishing up his monologue from _Macbeth_, and the audience looked as though they were ready to fall asleep. He spotted Liz, who was draped across Buttercup looking dramatically bored, and smiled to himself.

"_We will perform in measure, time and place:__  
__So, thanks to all at once and to each one,__  
__Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone__," _the porcupine trilled out, finally bowing with a flourish. The toys offered him a hearty applause, more for the fact it was over than anything

"All right, that's it for tonight-" Mr. Potato Head started, before Jessie cut him off.

"Wait! I kind of wanted to sing…" She trailed off sheepishly. Trixie grunted.

"I already shut off the computer," Woody could almost feel the disappointment radiating off his female friend.

"That's okay," He said, stepping into view. "I know guitar." How perfectly all fourteen heads swiveled in his direction was slightly unnerving.

"For over sixteen years we've been together," Slinky mused, nearly locked in place by surprise. "And when were you planning on telling me this?"

"Well it's not really a big deal…uh, Jessie, what song did you want to sing?" A wide smile spread across her face as she darted over to Woody and whispered in his ear. "That's a classic!" He exclaimed. "I've known that one for a while. I'll be right back." Before anyone could say a word, Woody scrambled underneath Bonnie's toy basket and brought back what looked like a miniature guitar.

"Woody, where'd you get that from?" Buzz growled in a warning tone.

"I uh, borrowed, it from the Christmas ornament box." He breathed quickly, along with a nervous laugh. Suspiciously, Buzz looked Woody up and down.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Mrs. Potato Head squawked from the side. "Are you gonna do it or what?"

"You bet we are!" Jessie shouted with a toothy grin, dragging Woody to the stage. "Let's get this wagon train a'movin'!"

Not wanting to feel too separate from the crowd, Jessie merely sat on the edge of the books, letting her legs dangle and the toes of her boots just brushing the floor. Woody took the cue and did the same, only being taller he had his feet planted on the ground and his guitar firmly in his lap. Just to make sure it was tuned, he plucked a few chords, and halfheartedly smiled at the audience, them still surprised he could play at all. Inhaling deeply, attempting to get over his uneasiness, he began to strum out the beginning instrumental. He had known the song well enough, and playing it was nearly second nature. Besides, _Landslide_ was always on CMT, making it that much easier for him to remember the tune.

During the last few bars of Woody's part, a serene expression overtook Jessie's normally hyper-excited face. There was a change in her, as if something inside her lit up. Her green eyes half-lidded and relaxed, the cowgirl threw a glance at Woody and began to sing.

"_Took my love and I took it down,__  
__Climbed a mountain and I turned around,__  
__And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills,__  
__Well, the landslide brought me down"_

"_Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?" _Woody started to harmonize, which seemed to jolt Jessie in surprised, but she quickly returned to her calm state.

"_Can the child within my heart rise above?__  
__Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?__  
__Can I handle the seasons of my life? Nuh uh…" _Jessie's green eyes swept across the audience but lingered longest on Buzz, who's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She smiled a little teasingly, and turned to Liz, who gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

"_Well I've been 'fraid of changing,_

_Cause I build my life around you _

_But time makes bolder, children get older_

_I'm getting older too" _Woody crooned, his voice slightly cracking out of sadness and realizing with a blush that Jessie stopped singing to let him go on. They had hit another instrumental, and still recovering from his solo, Woody's fingers stumbled a bit, but soon regained their steadiness. Steadily, Jessie hopped from the stage before the next stanza picked up, and stepped over to Liz. With a large smile on her face, she slung an arm around her new friend's shoulder and nudged her to join in.

_ "Well, I've been afraid of changin'__  
__'Cause I've built my life around you,__  
__But time makes bolder, children get older,__  
__I'm getting older too, well, I'm getting older too." _The cowgirl gently removed her arm from Liz's shoulder and started making her way back to the stage and Woody. _"So take this love and take it down,__  
__Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and you turn around__  
__And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills__  
__Well, the landslide brought you down"_ Woody stopped playing and shuddered in surprise when Buzz and Liz sat down next to them, smiles donned, and the new voices joined in.

"_And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills__  
__Well maybe, well maybe, well maybe__  
__The landslide will bring you down." _Words still seemed to echo as the audience fell silent, drinking in the emotion. A few seconds passed, and Liz began to study the faces of her friends. Both Woody and Jessie were grinning, but sadness seemed to have also befallen them. Buzz was seemingly happy, grasping Jessie's and Woody's hands. Somewhere, in the blanket of silence, Woody also reached out a hand to Liz, who willingly took it, the room feeling almost desolate. The memories of past friends chilled the toys, filling them all with melancholy

Finally, Totoro started a lighthearted clap, muffled by the fur on his paws. A widespread reaction ensued, and soon everyone was on their feet, stomping and whistling like crazy. Liz smiled slightly mischievously, and without any warning encased Woody in a lung-crushing hug, with no explanation. What was this? Usually her means of affection was entirely playful, but this time the embrace seemed honest, and genuine. Hesitantly, the Sheriff wrapped his arms around the girl's small frame, fiddling absentmindedly with her long brown hair. His moment of bliss was broken when Jessie ran up to them, and threw her arms around the two screaming, "You guys were great!" Being surrounded by friends, Woody had to admit that he was being silly, thinking that no one really cared about him. At least he had Liz, but now, it was safe to say that he had so much more.

* * *

A/N: Yey for cheesy closing lines! :D And musical numbers, of course 3

Thanks everyone! Hope you've enjoyed the bliss, cause this is when the REAL business starts happnin' :D


	11. Shocker

**CHAPTER TEN- SHOCKER**

The next morning wasn't too eventful. The night before, when everyone was about to go to bed, Woody had suddenly shouted in excitement, "We can sleep where we want tonight!" Which ended up causing a mad rush to Bonnie's mother's California King Temperpedic. All of the toys fit quite comfortably, with plenty of room to stretch out, but of course everyone ended up in different positions. Woody awoke with his head on Dolly's stomach, and Jessie refused to believe that she crawled onto Buzz's chest and fell asleep with her head in the crook of his neck middle of the night.

"I'm a fussy sleeper!" She exclaimed, a blush creeping up her face. Totoro had grabbed Liz somewhere in the early morning, and rolled over so she was lying on his plush stomach, wrapped up in his arms. In her opinion, the fluffy creature was way more comfortable than any mattress, and slept the most soundly. Most of the toys were up by the relaxed hour of eight, having gone to bed at nine the night before. Only Trixie and Rex remained snoring by eight-thirty.

Once everyone awoke, the group headed back to Bonnie's room. Sure, the bed was comfy, but the six-year-old's room was much more entertaining. By nine-thirty, everyone had situated themselves with something to do, especially Hamm, who had made himself comfortable under the window, and was reading the newspaper.

"Hey guys!" He shouted to the room. "Come take a look at this!"

"What is it?" Called Liz, who was cradled in Totoro's arms.

"It's an article."

Everyone but Woody, who was planning the next meeting, crowded around the Piggybank, and at once began to read the black and white print. Accompanying the blurb was also a full color picture of a totaled little blue VW bug, completely flipped onto its roof. Something was familiar about that car…was it on the news recently? Liz shrugged to herself and began to read.

**Student Involved in Car Accident Nearing Third Month In Hospital**

_Three months ago, a horrid car accident nearly took the lives of two girls driving in a blue VW Bug (pictured above. The car was hit from the rear, causing it to spin out of control and into busy traffic. It was then smashed again on the side, which caused the car to flip entirely over._

Liz froze, memories fleeting in front of her eyes. The wails of Trisha, the snapping of the delicate thread that connected her to life. Her last scream…

Desperately wanting to know more, the brunette turned her eyes back to the print and kept reading.

_The driver of the Bug, who was texting and was not paying attention to the road, caused the unfortunate accident. _

Stupid, stupid Trish.

_Thankfully, the driver only suffered from a bloody nose and was released from the local hospital approximately three hours after the accident. Her younger cousin, however, was not so lucky. _

Liz stopped once again, confused. Wasn't she dead? Why would she still be in the hospital?

_The eleven year-old-girl, Liz Tallywood, suffered from major head injury, and is now rounding the third month of being in a severe coma. Doctors reckon that her condition is nothing like they've ever seen. _

_ "This is the longest I've ever seen anyone in a coma," One told us, "Typically, comas only last for a couple of days, so we're not sure of the outcome." Tallywood's parents have revealed that they will be waiting for seven more days for her to wake up, before the doctors cut off her life source. _

"_We hate seeing our little girl in so much pain. We wouldn't be making this decision if it wasn't right." Mrs. Tallywood told us tearfully. From what it sounds, it will take a miracle for this young pre-teen to pull through._

Liz stumbled backwards in shock. All along, she was alive! And her body was nearby! _'That's why I remember my human life…' _Thought Liz, her mind churning. _'I'm not dead, but I'm not exactly alive either.' _This one thought unlocked a world of possibilities! Did it mean that everyone who died was reincarnated as a toy? Did they forget everything from their life after they died? Liz shook these questions from her head. For now, she had more important things to find out…

"Hamm, how old is this paper?" She demanded, staring into the pig's beady eyes.

"Eh, it says September 24th, so about six days."

"That means I only have one day left…" Sensing what was running through her mind, Buzz stepped carefully stepped forwards and used his gentlest voice possible.

"Look, Liz, I know this must be a huge shock for you, but please don't do anything rash,"

"I know Buzz, I- I just hate how my chance to live a human life is gone." She replied, looking down.

"But don't you like it here, Liz?" Rex asked innocently, a note of hurt in his voice.

"Yes, Rex." Sighed Liz. "More than anywhere else, but I miss my mom, and my dad, and my cousin…" she trailed off, a lump forming in her throat. Mrs. Potato Head shuffled over and pressed a gloved hand to her cheek.

"It will get better, darling." She said fondly, "Just give it time, and we'll all be here if you need us."

"I know." Their eyes lingered on her, but Liz did her best to avoid them, afraid that one of them would spot the plan she was mapping out in her mind. Sure, the odds weren't exactly on her side, but Liz wasn't going down without a fight.

* * *

_'You know, I hadn't exactly lied,'_ Thought Liz, as she clambered out of Bonnie's window. It was quite lucky that the little girl slept on the first floor, or escaping would be so much more difficult. _'It's not like I told them I _wasn't_ going to leave.'_ Nimbly, she scampered across the well-kept grass and under the white picket fence that closed in the lawn. After reading the article, Buzz had set up _The Sixth Sense _for him and Jessie to watch, but of course everyone ended else up flocking to the television too. This fortunately left the computer free for Liz to look up a route to the hospital, crack open a window, and escape, all while knowing the other toys would be preoccupied. In an odd stroke of luck, she found that the hospital was only about twenty blocks away, an hour's walk for a human. Liz, however, was no human. Assuming that it took her thirty minutes to walk a block, it would take her a whopping _ten_ _hours _to get there. Not to mention other dangers, like dogs and cars and people. Deciding that despite these challenges, she had to try, Liz took a deep breath, and stepped out into the street.

"Yeehaw! Oh, Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Wasn't that ending so great?" Jessie exclaimed, pulling down the ends of her hat and throwing her hands in the air.

"The surprise twist makes it all the more interesting," Stated the Space Ranger, unfazed by the horror and the blood of the movie. "But I feel that M. Night Shyamalan's films are progressively getting worse." Jessie nodded ernestly in agreement.

"I sure hope _Devil _is better than the rest." The other toys cowering in fear went unnoticed, as a debate heated up between Buzz and Jessie.

"To heck with the other Shyamalamadingdong films, as long as no one PAUSES THEM EVERY TEN MINUTES!" Buttercup groaned, shouting the last five words at Rex. Buttercup, Dolly, and Chuckles were among those who didn't get too scared, while Rex and Woody were the ones with their knees knocking. "It took us four hours just to get through a movie an hour and a half long."

"Hey…" Woody trailed off, noticing something was off. "Did anyone see Liz during the movie?" A chorus of "no's" and "eh's" filled the room. "Did she say where she was going?"

"She told me she was getting something from Bonnie's room…" Started Jessie, then paused. "Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln." Woody, understanding her tone, realized exactly what she was thinking. Somewhat clumsily, he scrambled over to the computer, which Liz failed to turn off.

"Of course. She went to the hospital, and she's already four hours in. Of course…" He mumbled, holding his forehead in his hands. Jessie prepared to climb up to comfort her troubled friend, but she held on to a better idea.

"Woody, I'm fast. Faster than Liz, I bet." She said, a high note of pride in her voice. Buzz's blue eyes widened.

"No, Jessie, let me go instead!" He cried, his stomach already churning with thoughts of his sweetheart broken or torn. The cowgirl, however, merely grinned.

"Nonsense. If you get crushed, you're done for. I am made of cloth, therefore more durable, so don't you worry about me, Buzzy Boy." She grinned, cradling his face in her hand, and giving him a peck on his lips. "I'll be back by tomorrow." Without anyone's final word or consent, Jessie tore down the hall and clambered out the window, trailing Liz with the map she had imprinted in her mind. She may have had four hours on her, but Liz was forgetting one thing. The real world is no place for a toy.

* * *

She had made it. It may have taken nine grueling hours, and way too many close encounters with cars, but she had arrived at the hospital safely nonetheless. Even better, the ICU ended up being on the first floor, making it all the more easy for Liz to slip through the revolving doors and down the hall into her own room. Due to the late hour, barely any humans were around, and those that were had occupied themselves with preparing to close up the rooms for the night.

The motionlessness of the bandaged body lying in the bed unnerved her. It was so still, not death, but so very close. Blocking out the whirr of machinery and gathering up her courage, Liz clambered hesitantly up the side of the bed, and perched on the plastic foot of it. She hadn't really changed much, other than her hair growing out and unsightly blemishes spouting across her forehead, but the body before her seemed so different than what it used to be. It almost seemed stiff, disturbed. Not lanky and fluid like it was three months ago. Before she had the chance to climb onto the bed and study her old body further however, a doctor and a couple she recognized as her parents strode in. Under her instinct, she leapt off the bed and rolled under a nearby chair, silently praying no one would find her.

"It's the sixth day…" The doctor whispered gently, eying Mrs. Tallywood. "Are you positive you want to go through this?" Mrs. Tallywood, merely nodded, her eyes filling with thick tears.

"Its getting too expensive, if we continue any longer, we'll lose our house. But I feel awful!" She cried, burying her face in Mr. Tallywood's chest. The doctor nodded somberly.

"I'll leave you alone then," He murmured before turning on his heel and walking out the door, shutting it behind him. Liz silently rejoiced, remembering the idea of her mission. Now that she got her parents alone, she could tell them to continue giving her life, and hopefully, all would be well soon. Cautiously and steadily, she placed a foot into the florescent light emitting from the ceiling. _'So far so good_,' she thought, her other foot starting to lower as well. A shuffle came from behind her.

Two hands shot out in the darkness, wrapping around her mouth and keeping her unheard screams captive. Liz struggled with the attacker, but it was no use. They almost seemed practiced in the way of silence, the way they dragged her, still gagged by hands, out the door. The Barbie continued to flail about, until the kidnapper let out a feminine sigh and ripped her down the hall and back to the outdoors.

'_No…'_

Hanging her head, Liz accepted her fate. That was the last she would ever see of her parents.

* * *

A/N: OH. SNAP.

Betcha didn't expect that, did you? :3 No. You didn't!

Thanks everyone, I hope you like how this adventure's coming along so far 3


	12. Reminiscense

**CHAPTER ELEVEN- REMINISCENCE**

"Are you crazy?" Hissed Jessie once she dragged the struggling girl out from her hospital room. Liz's eyes widened with anger, but mostly shock.

"How did you get here so quickly?" She spluttered.

"Have you ever considered that I just may be faster than you?" Jessie responded furiously. Liz's disbelief was quickly overcome by white-hot anger.

"How could you?" She demanded, fists balled and a high note of anger tingeing her usually smiling voice. "I could've lived again! Or talked to my parents in the very least!" She hadn't realized just how much she missed her family for the past few months, until the homesickness snowballed and finally crashed when Liz had first read that article. "You wouldn't understand!" She plowed on, "You're just a-a toy!" Jessie's glimmering emerald eyes darkened considerably, almost taking on a demonic aura. Liz, realizing her fatal mistake, started to back away until she hit the brick wall. "Jessie. I-I didn't mean it."

"Of course you did!" She yelled, pulling back her fist and aiming for Liz's nose. "You meant every word!" Bracing herself, but never feeling the impact, Liz peeped open one eye to watch Jessie's curled fist fly past her ear and hit the wall behind her. The cowgirl screamed out a few choice curses in a flying rage for a few minutes, then sank to the ground on her knees. Hesitantly and cautiously, Liz deemed it safe to approach her, when Jessie suddenly stood up and looked at her, the expression on her face nearly dead.

"Let's go back." She said simply, in a dull tone. Without a word, Liz obliged.

Trudging miserably behind the upset cowgirl, Liz periodically cast uneasy glances at the sky. It had been perfectly clear and starry not even an hour before, but now, dark black clouds were rolling ominously in front of the full moon. Before long, a fat raindrop licked the end of Liz's perfect nose. Then another, and another.

"Uh, Jessie?" She tried. "It's raining." Wordlessly, Jessie led her under a large willow at the corner of the street, and sat unceremoniously at the base. Minutes passed by, and the silence became almost awkward. Liz was just about to burst with the need for some sort of sound, when-

"Her name was Emily."

"Uh, excuse me?" Asked Liz, confused.

"Shut yer flytrap and listen." Jessie growled sourly. Liz clenched her teeth and kept quiet.

"She was my little girl. I loved her to death, and she loved me. But you know what happened?" Liz still kept silent, sensing Jessie's anger come throbbing back to the surface. "She grew up. Abandoned me in a box. And do I miss her?" The cowgirl took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yes. I miss her more than anything in the world. Just because I'm a doll, doesn't mean I don't have feelings." Mourning was written all over Jessie's face. If toys could cry…

"I'm sorry," Liz whispered, crawling over to Jessie and grasping her plastic hand. "More than anything."

"I am too. I shouldn't have yelled. You were upset." There was a long silence, the two still grasping hands.

"So are we friends?"

"You bet your butter!" drawled Jessie, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Here, try this." She collectively stood up, marched out to where the willow branches formed a curtain, and stuck her head out.

"GODAMMIT!" The cowgirl screamed into the wind. "I WANT TO GO HOME!" Returning over to Liz, she smiled innocently. "Your turn!" Liz walked over to the same spot, and peeped her head out from behind the branches.

"Gosh Darnit!" She yelled, not nearly as intensely as Jessie. Back from the trunk, Jessie shot her an incredulous look.

"What _was_ that?" She shouted over the wind. "Come on. Let it out!"

"GOD DANGIT!" Liz tried again. "I'M STUCK AS A DOLL FOREVER, AND WE'RE HOURS AWAY FROM THE HOUSE!"She skipped back, a little more pep in her hop, and a triumphant smile donning her face. Jessie smiled, thinking of how much of a little girl Liz really was. Sticking out her tongue and ruffling the little doll's brown locks, she proudly uttered two words:

"'Atta girl."

The rain continued for about four more hours, in which the girls sprawled out across each other and napped until the constant dripping ceased.

"Hey…I think it stopped raining." Liz murmured sleepily. Jessie arose and nodded.

"Let's start heading back."

The walk took another nine hours, which left plenty of time for the friends to talk, and especially room for teasing.

"So what's going on between you and Mr. Star Command?" giggled Liz, poking Jessie's stomach. The sun had just begun to rise, the time being around six o' clock.

"I'm not sure." Answered Jessie honestly. "All I know is that he loves me, and I love him. We don't need to be married, or engaged, or even dating to prove it." She smiled thoughtfully. "Now the real question is, what's going on with you an' the sheriff?" Liz stiffened.

"Ew! He's like my dad!" She cried, somewhat shocking herself with the statement. The cowgirl raised a single eyebrow.

"Your dad?"

"I guess so." The two walked in silence for the rest of the way.

Finally, around nine A.M, a satisfying sight came into view. Bonnie's house, with it's blossoming gardens, and white picket fence was looming pleasantly over the dolls. Exchanging excited glances, they darted under the fence and collapsed into the soft green grass.

"Well, we made it." Liz confirmed, sighing from relief. Jessie rolled over, her great green eyes staring into Liz's.

"Welcome home partner." She grinned.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the late night update. I had to study for a test, and school must alllllways come first :C

So just a side note, updating is gonna be a little funky the next couple of weeks. As some of you know, I've had a pattern going on, updating on sundays, wednesdays, and fridays.

Well, after chapter 12 is posted, I won't be updating for the next two sundays, nor the wednesday and friday in between. Halloween week, we should be back on schedule, however. Consider it like a Mid-Season break :D

Ooooh...I feel so bad. Next chapter has the biggest cliff-hanger ever :C


	13. Regret

CHAPTER TWELVE- REGRET

Very much to their surprise, Buzz was waiting for Liz and Jessie at the edge of Bonnie's mother's Rose garden.

"Jessie!" He cried tenderly, rushing forward and enveloping the cowgirl into his arms. "Thank Mira you're all right." Jessie giggled into his plastic neck.

"We're fine, it's a Sunday so everyone was at church." She explained. Liz looked awkwardly at her feet as the two shared a kiss. Swiveling her head towards the window, she thought she caught a flash of Cowhide streaking past the glass on the other side. Oh God, Woody. He would be beyond furious.

With this new fear, Liz snuck another glance at the two, who seemed to have forgotten about her. Quite frankly, she was happy that they were taking so long. The more they kept at it, the more time she could stabilize herself to face the cowboy.

Much to her dismay however, Buzz, while still lip-locked with Jessie, suddenly opened his eyes, and glanced at her, as if just realizing she was there.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Missy!" He yelled once they broke apart, squeezing Liz into a bear hug. She laughed, pounding her fists into his plastic chest.

"Lemme down! Lemme down!"

"If you say so," He said teasingly, dropping her into the grass. Liz breathed a sigh of relief. No mentions of the Sheriff yet…

Jessie was the one to ask the question, a slightly fearful look on her face.

"How's Woody?" Buzz's cheerful grin fell.

"He's furious," whispered the Space Ranger. "Better not waste any more time." They entered the rose bushes one by one, stepping carefully over briars and brushing aside vines and leaves for each other. The trip was much to short in Liz's opinion, as by the time Buzz hoisted them up and over the windowsill, it had hardly been three minutes.

The trio was greeted with chimes of "You're back!" or, "Are you guys okay?" The only one not saying anything was the Sheriff himself. Woody. Silently hoping he would try at least to stifle his wrath, Liz took a yoga breath and padded cautiously over to him.

"Woody…I'm sorry I left." She said apologetically, pleading in her eyes. The wide brim of the cowboy's hat covered most of his face in shadows, but his clenched rubber teeth were still perfectly visible, and absolutely terrifying.

"I work so hard to keep us all safe." He growled, his amber eyes glinting menacingly. "And this is how you repay me. You leave, telling no one. You could've been seen. You could've given away our secret! That's why you left, right? To talk to your mom and dad? Selfish." Woody ripped his eyes from hers, and turned away from her. Liz looked down at her boots. "Well?" Hissed Woody, suddenly spinning back around, wrenching her chin up with his finger and forcing her to look at his face. A quiver had weaseled its way onto Liz's chin, who clenched her jaw and wore a look of a horrified defiance. This Woody…he wasn't funny, or playful. He was scary, grabbing Liz the way he did so forcefully.

"I'm not made like you, Woody!" Cried Liz, swatting his hands away. "I'm not made for this kind of life! I liked being human, I had a chance to be one again, so I took it! Is it really that bad?" The Cowboy stood in shocked silence. He hadn't expected her to fight back. "Tell me!" She demanded, half sobbing. When Woody said nothing, she turned on her heel and tore out of the room.

"Nice one." Grumbled Jessie, punching the Sheriff in the arm.

"Hey buddy… did you happen to read that article? About the car crash?" Hamm questioned, nudging Woody's knee with his snout.

"Only got through half. Why?" He asked distantly, still staring at the doorway.

"Because they're cutting off Liz's life source today. Once that's gone, who knows what'll happen." Woody looked down in shock at the pig's beady eyes.

"What if Liz dies with her body?" he whispered, the horror of the situation starting to register.

"You better go find her." Hamm mumbled, distressed. That was all Woody needed to hear before he shot across the hardwood floor, hoping for the best.

* * *

Liz had developed a special spot over the past three months she had resided at Bonnie's, and quite a strange one too. It was dark, quiet, and perfect for her to curl up in whenever she was sad, or upset.

This special spot was between the cushions of the loveseat, positioned right under a window in the den.

Yes, she was aware of the oddity of it all, but it was very comfortable, and deliciously warm whenever the sun streaked through the windows in just the right ways, sending rays of heat over her plastic body. Besides, Bonnie's mother kept it clean enough, enforcing a 'no-food-on-the-couch' rule and vacuuming it religiously.

Naturally, the Sheriff knew all about this spot. He was Woody; nothing was a secret from him. This was the place he knew to look first.

Just getting down the stairs was a task, however. He would have to very carefully lower himself down one step at a time, while sort of hanging off the side of the one he had already conquered. Not to mention Bonnie's various socks and beads splayed out all over the place. The stairs, he could do, but avoiding his owner's little trinkets would be a whole other story. And there was the issue of pondering how to apologize for his animalistic fury, but Woody decided not to worry about it too much. It was Liz; of course she would forgive him!

Even so, his heart still fluttered a bit when he spotted a black cowboy hat sat neatly atop a table across from the loveseat, and a pair of boots sticking out from in between the cushions. As he quietly clambered up to see her and looked into the crack between the pillows, Woody could tell something was terribly wrong. Liz wasn't curled up, silently sobbing, no. She lay on her side in an eerie stiffness, looking completely fake, even to Woody. Gulping, he scooped up her figure and gasped. Liz's green eyes stood at full attention, casting a vacant stare just past Woody's hat. Her mouth was frozen in a rubber smile, so wide there was no way it could be genuine. His worst fears had been confirmed.

His touch seemed to melt her false exterior, and slowly, her features relaxed into almost a sleepy expression, and her limbs drooped.

"Stupid…" The Sheriff muttered resentfully to himself, cradling the body. "Stupid stupid stupid." With his face suddenly haggard, he gazed upon the little doll and absentmindedly tousled her brunette locks. As he inwardly cursed himself, almost teasingly, her high, sweet voice rang out.

_"At least you have me."_ For a moment, Woody gazed down at her excitedly, waiting for her to say something else. Something for proof that she was still there with him, and not just his imagination.

His proof never came.

* * *

A/N: Awww, I feel so mean leaving it off right there D: Please forgive me, you'll love the ending! I'll see you all in little over a week! Thanks to everone who reviewed! :)


	14. Trinity

**CHAPTER 12- TRINITY**

I decided, as I was facing pitch darkness, that the afterlife sucked. Big time. There I was, just drifting in blackness, with no body to speak of, and no where to go. I was dead. Okay, now what?

A thin beam of blinding light in the distance answered my question, as my bodiless soul sort of eased toward it, like metal to a magnet. As I floated closer and closer, a scene started to unfold before me. There was my mother, her mouth set into a grim line, clutching her ex-husband's jacket like a frightened child. There was my father, absentmindedly stroking the hair of my mother. And oh, there was Tessa. She was different, sort of straying to the back of the crowd before her. Her face was dry of tears, but her clear blue eyes told a different story. She killed me, and she knew it.

Between my parents and Tessa was a wide crowd. Practically dozens of people, all wearing black, had come to whatever this event for me was, and I had to say I was quite flattered. Most of these people I didn't even know!

A Black, glossy casket later revealed exactly what this outdoor gathering was. These people were all gathered for my very own funeral, which included a local pianist tinkling out a Beatles medley mournfully, and ladies clutching handkerchiefs with husbands sniffing, trying to hide their running noses.

Finally, someone cleared the air, and much to my surprise, it was Tessa.

"Uh," She started awkwardly. "I don't really know how these things work. I mean, I dunno if I'm supposed to wait for a minister or something, but, uh, I really need to get something off my chest." Surprised by the change from silence, the crowd turned toward her, faces still sad, but also tinged with curiosity. "Well, uh," She continued, "As many of you know, I killed Liz."

"Bitch," Grumbled an elderly lady towards the back.

"But hey, Liz!" Tessa shouted tearfully to the sky, her gaze locked onto mine. "I love, you, and I miss you, and I wish that I was taken instead!" Silence. "I know you're up there, don't be shy!"

Suddenly, something happened. I felt free, loose. I could move again! Slowly, as not to frighten her, I floated down and touched my toes to the ground before my cousin. Her eyes were wide, mouth open in astonishment.

"Hi," She said simply, but breathlessly. "Welcome to your funeral." No words for me, I just couldn't hold back. I reached right up Tessa's tall frame and wrapped my arms around her shoulders consolingly.

"I forgive you," I sighed, my voice nothing more than a soft whisper. Tessa's look of astonishment melted.

"Thank you!" She cried, clutching me back. I whispered my goodbye, and her happy tears turned to sad ones. "You have to leave?"

"There's someone waiting for me!" I sighed again, spreading my arms wide. A sudden gust of wind took the hats of the people around me hostage. "I gotta go, but tell Mom and Dad I love them!"

"Will do!" Tessa said with a salute. "I love you!"

Along with murmurs like, "Did you see that? It was a ghost," "nonsense, it was fog," and "but why was the cousin speaking to it?" Those were the last words of my human world. But that was okay; I had somewhere else to go.

I thought of Bonnie's room, and smiled.

* * *

"Oh my God," Gasped Jessie. "She's dead, Woody isn't she? She died, and she's dead." She began to hyperventilate, clutching the brim of her hat and pulling it down to her ears. Buzz shot her a consoling glance, and gently remove her hands from her hat. The cowgirl's breathing slowed as he gathered her weeping frame up in his arms and let her bury her head in his chest.

"Yes, Jessie, she's gone, and there's nothing we can do about it." He murmured, equally, if not more sadly than Jessie. Dolly shook her head and patted the back of Buzz's knee.

"I can't do this," murmured Slinky, "I can't watch Bonnie play with a dead body every day. That's just-" He cut off suddenly and shivered.

"You insensitive cad!" screamed Mrs. Pototo Head, whacking the poor dog mercilessly with her purse. "She just died, and all you can talk about is how creepy it is?"

"Be quiet, please," Woody said softly, still cradling Liz's limp frame and sitting against the bed frame. "Just be silent. It's…too hard to deal with this already.

"Deal with what already, Woody?" Said a voice, along with a tinkly laugh. Woody looked down, taking a moment to register the green saucers staring up at him, twinkling with absolute delight. "Woody?" Liz said again, cocking her head to the side, and flicking him on the upside of his nose.

"Liz!" He cried out in astonishment, clutching her thin, plastic frame. "You're back! You're back, you're back, you're back!"

"Yeah, I'm back…" She trailed off, as the cowboy peppered her face with kisses. "Where'd I go?" Buzz chuckled.

"I think we've heard this before," He whispered to Jessie, as she laughed and jubilantly tackled him to the ground.

"What was it like, Liz?" Rex asked innocently, twiddling his claws.

"What was what like?"

"When you died?" Liz shot him a look of confusion.

"Died? I- I just fell asleep in the couch cushions. No big deal…"

"Well, Liz, do you know how you got put into that coma?" Mr. Potato Head said quite forcefully. Now Liz was genuinely confused, and slightly intimidated.

"Coma? What're you- and what's with all of this 'Liz' stuff?"

"Well-" Started Mr. Potato Head, who was then cut off by Woody.

"What's your name?"

"Trinity." Liz said with firm conviction.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"What happened when you first got here?"

"Well, I…" Liz trailed off, struggling to remember. "I came in a box, not knowing I was a toy, then Buzz talked to me about thinking he was really a space ranger, and I told him…" She stopped to ponder for a moment. "Funny. I don't remember what I told him." Woody's eyebrows furrowed, as if he was confused, then suddenly raised.

"Oh! What was something that you remember recently?"

"Well, I remember reading an article about a car crash, and feeling scared. I remember…going to a hospital, but chunks of it are missing. I forget why I went. And we fought, right? But I don't know why." There were now worried murmurs among the toys. "Woody, what's this all about?"

"It's nothing, just…I'll be right back," Woody said, snapping his fingers and gathering together the rest of the toys. "Guys," He began, once Liz was well out of earshot. "She doesn't remember anything about her human life."

"Even things associated with it.' Buzz realized, and then turned to Woody. "What should we do?"

"I say we don't tell her." Jessie mused, crossing her arms and ignoring the chorus of "Why's?" in her direction.

"That makes sense," Woody thought aloud, patting his deputy's shoulder. "If we told her, it would be traumatizing. Her whole life would seem like a lie. You remember how upset she was when she found out she was a toy." Murmurs confirmed this. "So we don't tell her until the time is completely right-"

"How can we tell if the time is right?" intervened Mr. Potatohead. Woody cast the group a gentle smile.

"When it feels right..." he cast off, before ending the meeting. "Can we trust each other not to break this rule?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good."

The Sheriff turned away from the crowd and faced Liz, his arms wide.

"Welcome to Bonnie's room, Trinity!"

* * *

**A/N: **LOLSUPRISEUPDATE

Hey guiz. Missed me? :D Well I missed you too! And conveniently, the Epilogue will be posted on HALLOWEEN! So stay with me for this last mile! I LOVE YOU ALL TO DEATH!


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:** There was a question posted about Trisha: Well, no she didn't directly murder Liz, but she was texting while driving, resulting in the accident that killed her :D I hope that clarifies!

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

Looking around Bonnie's room, Buzz came to the conclusion that he had done all right. Sure, the whole setup seemed to take _forever_, but every hour of hard work was entirely worth the look on Liz's face. _Liz…_

The Space Ranger's satisfied grin slipped into a look of thoughtfulness, as he deliberated on the comings and goings of the past month. He was extremely pleased to determine after a good week Liz had "died" that she was still in fact Liz and not some other stranger. She still acted like a twelve-year-old, even though she stubbornly insisted that she was "fourteen! Not twelve. Not eleven. Not six. Fourteen." She still acted very much human, as opposed to a ditsy teen Barbie, and even better, she finally gave into Woody's pleads to let him call her 'Liz' once again. Though, that probably had to do with the fake website Trixie generated that did indeed confirm that "Liz," was a nickname for "Trinity."

"Hey buddy. Whoa!" Woody exclaimed, his chestnut eyes dancing in wonder. "You actually did all right. I mean, considering I wasn't there to supervise." He grinned, earning himself a slug on the arm from Buzz. Everything had seemed to magically fall into place, and what was planned would make the night even _more_ perfect. Buzz snorted. As if _that _was possible.

* * *

"Jessie, why won't you tell _me-e-e-e_?" pouted Liz, as Jessie secured the last few measurements on Liz's dress.

"Because then it wouldn't be a _surpri-i-i-i-ise_!" The cowgirl responded, mocking Liz's tone. Honestly, she wasn't surprised. Liz knew that it was going to be a weird night when Jessie came up to her earlier in an Elizabeth Swann-esque pirate costume and asked her what her "fa-a-a-avorite movie of a-a-a-a-wl time was" in a honey-sweet voice. To which she had answered in a fit of love for musicals:

"Chicago, why?"

Maybe that was why she was being dressed in a flapper costume. But really, Liz did have to admit that Jessie did a pretty good job throwing the whole thing together, with Dolly's help of course. She _was_ a sew-her-own-clothes doll.

The dress was amazing: red, and extraordinarily shimmery, Plus, much to her delight, Liz even received a matching headband. With feathers! She couldn't forget about the stockings and kitten-heels either.

Jessie on the other hand, looked stunning in her own, rouge, tough, Jessie kind of way. She donned a bodice, which managed to cover up the yellow part of her blouse, and was tied together with a black leather string in the front. Dolly even managed to find scraps of suede, that Jessie wrapped around her thighs and used to tie the front of her cowhide chaps up, to create the effect that they didn't exist at all. Replacing her belt was a red sash, that matched her red tri-corn hat, and various costume rubies on her fingers and neck.

"Ready to go?" Asked Dolly, donning a slinky black dress that suspiciously brought out her curves, thought to be non-existent.

"Depends, where are we going?" Liz challenged with a grin

"Nice try," Jessie smirked, grabbing the Barbie's thin forearm, "but you'll just have to wait and see."

She soon found herself blindfolded with a piece of scrap fabric and being dragged down the hall, the two other dolls determinedly ignoring her protests and squeals of surprise every time she stumbled.

"What the-" Liz began, before the blindfold was ripped off her eyes and she was shoved into Bonnie's room.

"SURPRISE!" Screamed the residents in her general direction, hands, paws, or claws out, jazz style and wide grins donning their faces. Liz's eyes desperately wandered, looking for an answer. At last, they rested on Woody, who had a large Native-American headdress resting on his plastic curls. Okay, that didn't help.

Staring up at the ceiling, she realized it had all been strung with Christmas lights, silver streamers hanging down from the wires and just brushing the hardwood flooring. The effect was magical, as if someone had gathered up all of the stars in the sky and hung them right on the ceiling. She also realized, with guilt, that this must've taken _hours_ of hard work for a toy, and she didn't even know what the surprise was.

"Liz," Buzz prompted after a moment of silence, "Do you have any idea of the date?"

"I know it's October." A collective groan arose from the crowd.

"It's Halloween, you blonde." Mr. Potato Head snorted from behind a Darth Vader mask, his alien children dressed as Luke Skywalker, except for the last one who was flaunting a Princess Leia slave costume.

"Oh…" She trailed off in understanding. "Oh!"

"Happy Halloween! Shouted Buzz, flourishing a cane and top hat. "Let the festivities begin!"

* * *

What a party is was! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, including the usually sour Mr. Potato Head, who was twirling his adoptive children around in the air. Liz danced with nearly everyone, not including Jessie and Buzz, who she'd like to pretend she _didn't_ see passionately making out under the bed. Nor did she want to know why Dolly was seductively pulling Woody under the dresser by the tassels on his rawhide vest, but she also found out with delight that the Sheriff was unusually good at the robot, despite his rag doll figure.

"And now one for you _old folk_," Slinky rasped, being the Deejay for that night, and winked at Woody.

"Hey! I can keep up with the young crowd!" He protested, hands perched on his hips.

"Captions are available for the hard of hearing." Slinky teased, before putting on _Mr. Tambourine Man_.

"Is this a slow song?" Liz asked Woody, whom she had just been dancing with.

"Depends. Do you want it to be?" He asked, a smile gracing his thin lips.

"I'd like that."

As gentlemanly as possible, Woody began to reach for Liz's waist, before withdrawing his hands and shaking his head.

"Wait, we're doing this wrong." Liz furrowed her brow.

"How so?"

"Get on," He invited, gesturing to his boots and ignoring Liz's confused stare. Slowly, she lowered he own shoes onto the top of is foot and clutched his large hands as the cowboy gently stepped back and forth.

"This is…nice," decided Liz, resting her head against Woody's chest.

"Mm," He confirmed, absentmindedly stroking her hair.

_Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship__  
__My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip__  
__My toes too numb to step__  
__Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'__  
__I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade__  
__Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way__  
__I promise to go under it_

"Hey Woody?" Liz said, stepping off his boots.

"Yes, Liz?"

"This is nice and all," She gestured to the ceiling, "but wanna sit on the lawn with me?" The cowboy's smile relaxed a fraction.

"Let's go."

They managed to get out of the window and duck under the rose bushes with no trouble at all, and soon the sight of dewy grass and a full moon greeted the pair.

"Well lookit that…" Woody sighed, plopping himself down and laying on his back despite the dampness. "A full moon on Halloween. Funny, huh?" He turned to Liz, laying beside him, stare directed up to the heavens.

"I love you."

"Mind repeating that?"

"You heard me."

Yes indeed the sheriff heard her, but could hardly believe it himself. "I've kind of labeled you as my dad ever since you yelled at me and Buzz for coming in late to Bonnie's room. I mean, real parents care, right? And you cared, so-" She was suddenly cut off by the hug Woody gathered her in, momentarily touched by his sweetness.

"I love you too."

"Well, good." Silence overtook the night, save for the chirping crickets and occasional yelps of young trick-or-treaters.

"Wanna go in?"

"Let's stay. Just look at those stars!"

"I couldn't have put it any better myself."

They did have to climb back through that window eventually, once the music had died down and the only ones still on the dance floor was Buzz and Jessie. Liz did have to bid farewell to the stars in the end.

But it turns out; she never really did need to say goodbye. Long after everyone was asleep, Liz lay awake, missing the stars already. They were her witnesses, true conviction that her moment with Woody wasn't just a dream.

Those lights, still netted across the ceiling, still twinkling, captured Liz's mind once again, as the light flecked gold into her large emerald eyes. She wanted stars? All she had to do was just look up.

* * *

**A/N**: You guys have been so amazing, I can't even fathom it. And I'm so glad you all stuck around for the ride, even though this fic has been going on since September! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Any questions, or confused? pleeeease inbox/review and I'll try my best to answer them!

Bye guys!


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